Three Days Left
by Kappa Mikey 22
Summary: This was my most popular on DeviantArt so thought I'd try it here. Please review and be nice this is my first time on Fanfiction! i do not own Adventure Time!


Jake's Goodbye

The Mother of All Monsters

"Finn, wait up! Finn!" Jake called out stumbling over rocks and skulls as he struggled to catch up to his pal. "Come on Jake hurry up!" Finn called back not bothering to stop. Jake sighed. Once Finn became immersed in an adventure, nothing could stop him. He finally caught up to Finn who had stopped at a crossroads. He struggled to catch his breath and looked up at Finn. "So now what?" he panted. Finn ran a across his chin as he thought. One path ran along a narrow corridor which appeared to lead to a dungeon of some sort. The other path also ran along a corridor but was so long and dark, Finn couldn't see the end. He scratched his chin in contemplation before looking down at Jake with a smile. "What time is it Jake?" he asked slyly. "Time to go home?" Jake asked hopefully. "No silly adventure time!" Jake sighed. "Finn, we've been exploring this mystery cave for hours." He complained. "Oh, wah I'm Jake and I'm afraid of a little adventure because I'm such a stick in the mud." Finn taunted playfully. "What? Oh you're on brother!" Jake replied with a sly smile. "Let's go!" they cried in unison. Finn started towards the longer corridor while Jake headed to the shorter one. Finn stopped. "Jake," he called. Jake stopped and looked back. "What?" Finn gestured towards the longer corridor. Jake gulped nervously. He opened his mouth to protest but stopped before Finn could tease him. "Oh okay." He sighed in defeat. "But after this we head right home." Finn cheered. Then, grabbing a torch from the wall nearby ran into the corridor with Jake struggling to keep up. After about an hour, he slowed his pace to a walk. "Just goes on forever." Jake noted looking around. "It's gotta lead somewhere." Finn replied. He raised a hand to shield his eyes from a sudden bright light. He followed the light to the doorway of a small chamber. "Whoa," he breathed. Jake came up beside him. He looked up at his pal's astonished face in confusion before following Finn's gaze. "Whoa," he gasped. For there in front of them, lay the biggest, ugliest, most dangerous monster they'd ever seen. The beast lay on it's side on top of a bed of bones taking up most of the room. It's body was fat and misshapen covered in slimy green scales that oozed a toxic venom. It wagged it's spiked tail up and down in it's sleep causing the ground to rumble beneath the brother's feet. Finn gazed up at the monster in wonder while Jake trembled with fear. Jake grabbed Finn's hand. "Come on buddy it's time to go." He begged attempting in vain to drag Finn out of the room. Finn looked down at him breaking his trance. "No way dude! I wanna try to befriend this amazing creature." He said his eyes growing wide. Before Jake could stop him, Finn was running over to the beast. He stopped just inches before its twisted face dripping venom from its jaws. He gently poked the creature's head. The creature growled a deep, menacing growl before turning over on its side causing the entire cave to rumble. Finn flinched a little and turned back to look at Jake who desperately gestured for Finn to get out. Finn simply shrugged and walked over to the monster's face. He reached out and gently rubbed its forehead. "Wake-y, wake-y, wake-y precious buddy." He said softly. The monster's eye flew open in rage. "There you are." Finn smiled. The monster slowly rose crouching under the cave's roof. Finn smiled. "Aw look at him Jake. Come here buddy." He reached over to hug the monster but before he could, the monster raised one giant, gruesome hand and slapped Finn sending him flying into the wall! "Finn!" Jake exclaimed in horror. Finn groaned as he sat up rubbing his head in pain. "It's okay Jake!" he called. "I probably just scared him!" Jake looked over at Finn worriedly. Finn slowly stood and walked back to the monster. "It's okay buddy. I know you didn't mean it," he started. But the monster hit him again. "Finn get out of there! This monster doesn't want to make friends!" Jake called out. Finn wiped away the blood that had begun seeping from his mouth. "Guess not." He mumbled to himself. He grabbed his sword from his pack. "Last chance monster." He warned. The monster let out a roar loud enough to wake the dead. "Okay, I warned you" Finn charged at the monster with what little strength he had left. He stabbed the monster's ankle as hard as he could. The monster let out another roar of agony before reaching down and grabbing the tiny pest that had woken him. He squeezed the tiny human tightly in his giant hand. Finn struggled against the monster hacking it with his sword over ad over again but to no avail. "Finn!" Jake exclaimed rushing over to his pal. He stretched himself to match the monster's height. The monster growled at him challenging him to do his worst. Jake snarled and stretched his fist as big as it would go before punching the monster in the face. The monster reeled back in pain slamming into the wall behind him. "Finn!" Jake exclaimed running over as Finn fell to the floor. Finn groaned as Jake gently picked him up. The monster turned to face them with a bright flame burning in its eyes. It let out an angry roar and began to charge. Jake growled and stretched himself to half the creature's size and let out the loudest bark he could. The monster whimpered in fear before running off into a nearby chamber. Jake snorted in the monster's direction before looking down to examine Finn. His clothes had been torn and he was either bleeding or bruised in a dozen or so vital places. He looked up at Jake and coughed weakly. "Guess that was a bad idea huh?" Jake looked down at him worriedly. "Ya' think?" Finn smiled weakly and coughed even harder this time. "Come on let's get you some help." Jake said hurrying off with Finn in his arms.

Jake sat in the waiting room nervously waiting on any news on Finn's condition. They had arrived three hours earlier and Finn had been admitted immediately. The doctor had just come out fifteen minutes ago to explain the situation. "Were not going to lie to you, he's in pretty bad shape. Various fractured or broken bones, some pretty deadly venom managed to find its way through a few of the open wounds, and he's losing a lot of blood. Were doing everything we can. We'll keep you updated." "Please Glob let him be okay," Jake silently prayed already beginning to tear up. A figure approached him causing Jake to look up. "Oh, hey guys," he greeted wiping the tears away. Lady sat down on one side of him and Jake Jr. on his other. "Any news yet?" Jake Jr. asked. Jake nodded. "It doesn't look good." He said simply. Lady gently wrapped her arms around him and Jake buried his face in her arms. Already, crowds had begun to gather and were whispering amongst themselves nervously. "Excuse me, out of the way!" PB demanded pushing her way through the crowd. She quickly ran up and kneeled down in front of Jake. "How's he doing?" she asked. Jake just shook his head causing a few tears to fly. PB reached out a comforting hand. "It's gonna be okay," she said. At that moment they heard the doctor yell anxiously, "Were losing him!" Then, the doors to the operating room flew open and everyone turned anxiously. The doctor looked at Jake struggling to catch his breath. "You need to come in." he panted. Jake quickly got up and ran over fearing the worst.

A Love Like No Other

Finn lay hanging by a thread in the hospital room with at least a dozen or so tubes attached to bleak, ominous machinery which could signal the worst at any moment. Jake slowly walked over and sat down next to Finn who gave an almost inaudible moan. "Shh, shh its okay buddy I'm right here," Jake soothed laying a comforting paw on Finn's burning forehead. Finn winced in pain a little but just as quickly calmed back down. Jake smiled a small smile before glancing up at the heart monitor. The beats came slowly and weakly threatening to stop at any moment. "Jake I know you don't want to hear this," the doctor began slowly laying a hand on Jake's shoulder. "But, there's nothing more we can do." Jake said nothing but a little tear rolled silently down his cheek. "I'm so sorry." The doctor said before leaving. As soon as the doctor had left, Jake threw himself over his body and began to sob. "No, Finn," Too caught up in his grief, he failed to notice the bright golden light that suddenly filled the room. He looked up only when he felt someone behind him. "Oh, what is it now-"he started to groan. He gasped in surprise for there standing in front of him, was no other than the Cosmic Owl.

The Choice

"I've come for him." The Cosmic Owl said pointing to Finn. "N-no," Jake stuttered. Finally, he found his composure. "No!" he screamed throwing himself on top of Finn protectively. "You're not taking Finn!" the Cosmic Owl cocked his head to one side amused. "He's my best friend in the whole world you can't take him! There are a lot of people who need him, I need him!" "His time on this Earth has come to an end." "No!" Jake buried his face into Finn's chest and sobbed. The Cosmic Owl gently pulled him off. "Look, you amuse me. You and your love for this kid." He said gesturing to Finn. "So I'll make you a deal; I'll let him stay, if you agree to give me YOUR life in exchange." Jake stiffened. Give up his life? But there were still so many things he'd never gotten to do yet! He would never beat his high score in Kompy's Castle, or start his own sandwich restaurant, and what about all the other adventures he'd never get to go on? But then, looking back at Finn he realized, none of those things would mean anything without Finn at his side. He sighed sadly before turning once more to face the Cosmic Owl. "Cosmic Owl, I've lived a good long life. Had a few adventures with my bro, found a wonderful Rainacorn, and had six beautiful kids. But Finn, man he's only fifteen. He's got his whole life ahead of him. There are still a lot of people who need him." "So what are you saying?" the Owl asked smirking. Jake took a deep breath. "I'll do it. I'll give up my life for my bro." the Cosmic Owl's smirk grew. "You have three days." He said before disappearing in another flash of light. Jake remained staring into the wall where the Owl had been just a moment earlier before a sound made him look back at Finn. "Jake…?" he coughed. Jake smiled down at him. "Easy buddy it's okay." He smiled beginning to tear up happily. "You're gonna be okay now."

Three Days Left

Finn groaned as he slowly sat up grabbing his head in pain. "What happened? Where am I?" he asked looking around the room. "You're in the hospital ya' ding-dong." Jake replied smiling playfully. "Don't you remember the monster you tried to make friends with?" Finn rubbed his head painfully. "Yeah I do. That was a bad idea." He chuckled. Jake smiled but his smile quickly faded. "Finn, there's something I have to tell you." He began taking a deep breath. "You were in pretty bad shape after fighting that monster and so I-"he began but was cut off by the sound of approaching footsteps. Princess Bubblegum rushed in the room out of breath. "I felt like something was wrong so I-" she stopped suddenly seeing Finn sitting up whole and healthy. "Finn!" she exclaimed and rushed over to him wrapping him in a warm embrace. "Oh my Glob, you're alive!" she exclaimed giving him a little peck on the cheek causing him to blush. Just then, all the candy people rushed in. "Finn's okay!" they exclaimed happily crowding around him. Finn chuckled. "Yeah I'm fine." "Hey everyone!" Cinnamon Bun called out. "Let's go back to Finn and Jake's house to celebrate!" the candy people all cheered happily but Jake stepped forward. "Actually if it's okay with ya'll me and Finn need to talk about something important." He said. All the candy people leaned in, in anticipation. "_Alone._" He added. "What is it dude?" Finn asked confused. "I'll tell you back at the tree house." Jake answered pulling Finn away from the crowd.

"So what's so important that you needed to talk to me about?" Finn asked moments later sitting on the couch across from Jake. Jake took a deep breath and opened his mouth to start only to be interrupted by the telephone. "Hey Finn it's me, Marci. I heard what happened and am just checking in to see how you're doing. Anyways, call me, bye." The voicemail said before ending. "Aw that's nice of her." Finn thought aloud. "Focus Finn," Jake said. "What I have to tell you is really important. You were in pretty bad shape by the time I got you to the hospital. The doctors said you weren't going to make it so I was called in to say my goodbyes." Jake explained. He could see Finn's brow rising in anticipation and confusion. "While I was in there with you the Cosmic Owl came to take you and-" "Finn!" came a new voice out of the blue. BMO ran over and clasped onto Finn's leg happily. "You're okay! Yay!" Finn chuckled. "Yay!" he cheered happily. Jake's face grew extremely red and he looked ready to explode. "For the love of Glob man! You were dying and I volunteered to give up my life in three days and that's the only reason you're here right now!" He hollered. Finn stopped and looked up at Jake in shock. "W-what…?" he stuttered. Jake sighed and took a deep breath. "I only have three days with you before the Cosmic Owl comes for me. I couldn't let you die." He explained. Finn set BMO down slowly, his eyes never leaving Jake. "No," he whispered shaking his head in disbelief. Jake nodded sadly. "What the plops man!" he screamed choking back tears. "I did it for you man! You still have your whole life ahead of you! Besides, how could I ever go on living without you?" Jake said. "You can't die! What about Lady and your kids?! What about _me_? So what I'm just supposed to live the rest of my life all alone?! IS THAT IT JAKE?!" Finn screamed crying. "Hey you should be thanking me right now!" Jake argued. "If I didn't do what I did, you wouldn't be here right now!" Finn shook his head and wiped his tears on his sleeve sniffling. He slumped down to the floor burying his head in his hands. Jake's expression softened. He sighed sadly and walked over to Finn laying a hand on his shoulder. "Look man I'm sorry." He said gently. "I just can't lose you. You're my best friend. I'd do anything for you." "You didn't have to give up your life." Finn muttered sadly. "I'm really sorry Finn. I wish there was some way around this." Finn's head sprang up suddenly. "Unless…" he began. "Unless what?" Jake asked confused. Finn sprang to his feet. "We beat death once before," "Oh no," "Maybe we could do it again!" "Whoa, whoa we got lucky that time! We can't cheat death!" Finn looked down at Jake with large pleading eyes. "Come on Jake. I'll do anything to save you." Jake looked at Finn and sighed. "Alright man what's the plan?" he asked. Finn thought for a moment. "Maybe we could go down to Wizard City to find you a spell that'll make you immortal. Or maybe when the Cosmic Owl comes for you we can hide you until he leaves." He proposed. Jake shook his head. "No man the Cosmic Owl is way too smart to fall for that." "Then Wizard City it is then."

Using, the same costume from Wizard Battle, the two headed to Wizard City entering under the false name of Magic-Fist Wizard. Once in, they headed for the Spells Shop. "Hello there fellow wizard." Finn greeted approaching the cashier. "Were- I mean I'm trying to find a potion that will grant thee immortality. Got anything?" the wizard scratched his chin in contemplation. "I might, but what would you need it for?" "Dude isn't it obvious? For me to become immortal." "Imposters!" the wizard screamed. "Whoa wait what?" Finn asked growing nervous. "If you were _really_ wizards, you would know that you're _already immortal!_" the wizard hissed before reaching behind the counter and pushing the button that called for the guards. "Wait! You don't understand! Jake really needs this!" Finn pleaded desperately as he and Jake were kicked out of the city. "Aw man," he mumbled face down and mouth full of mud. "Well that didn't work." Jake said walking over to Finn. "Maybe we should just give up." "No way man!" Finn exclaimed jumping up. "Were gonna find a way to save you." "How?" Finn thought for a moment. "If a wizard won't give us a spell, maybe Princess Bubblegum can help! Come on Jake!" Finn exclaimed dragging Jake towards the Candy Kingdom.

"…So that's the problem. Can you help us PB?" Finn asked moments later after he had explained the situation. Princess Bubblegum thought for a moment. "I don't know Finn, modern science hasn't gotten that far yet. It's near _impossible_." She said leaning in ominously. Finn and Jake looked at her worriedly. "But actually I'm lying." PB continued. "I managed to build Golliad and Stormo after all. All I'd really need to do is alternate the formula a little. It may be a bit different seeing as I didn't create Jake and the consequences could be catastrophic if anything were to go wrong but I wouldn't worry too much." Jake gulped nervously. "Finn I don't know if this is such a good idea," "Don't worry man, PB knows what she's doing." PB stood up and walked over to Jake. "Don't worry Jake I won't let anything happen to you. Come on." She promised and led him into the same room where she would've performed the experiments on Flame Princess. "This might hurt a little." She warned strapping Jake down. "Maybe we should wait for a few minutes. I need to use the bathroom first." He begged growing more and more nervous. "Too late now! Look this'll be over before you know it." PB promised heading back to the control room. Jake cowered as a compartment in the roof opened and a huge laser appeared pointing directly at him. "Hold still…" PB called down. When the tests began, Jake's screams could be heard from the Candy streets to the farthest reaches of the Ice Kingdom.

"Ow, ow, ow," Jake grimaced finally emerging hours later covered in bandages and burns. "Well that didn't work." PB sighed coming up beside him with Finn. "Ow, ya' think?" Jake replied sarcastically brushing the dust off himself. "We have to keep trying!" Finn insisted. "Maybe we could make a deal with Death…" "Really Finn? That's the best you got? Why don't you just accept the fact that you can't win this one?" Jake criticized growing irritated. "I'm just trying to help." Finn replied defensively. "Yeah well quit trying! There's nothing you can do about it!" Jake snapped irritably before storming off. "Jake wait!" Finn called out desperately. When Jake didn't stop, Finn slumped to the floor with his head in his hands. "What am I gonna do?" he moaned in despair. Bubblegum put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Finn, I'm sure you'll think of something." She encouraged. "It'll be okay."

"Jake?" Finn called entering the tree house. "Jake!" he called again scanning the living room. "He's upstairs." BMO said entering the room. "He's depressed." Finn looked down shamefully. "Glob, I didn't mean to do anything to hurt his feelings. I just don't want to lose him." He sighed. He looked up suddenly as Jake entered the room. Jake stopped in his tracks and looked over at Finn. "Hey," he said awkwardly. "Hey man," Finn relied. "Look, I'm really sorry man. I was wrong to do what I did. Can you forgive me?" he asked in a soft voice. Jake smiled. "Sure man. I can't stay mad at you." Finn smiled. Just then, he came up with a new idea. "Well, it sure is a shame you can't stay…" he said with a sly smile. Jake nodded. "Sure is," Finn walked over and put his arm around Jake. "Well I sure don't want you to die without fulfilling your dreams," Jake looked up at him confused. "What are you suggesting?" "Let's spend the time we have together doing everything you always wanted to do." "Whoa you mean it?" Jake asked looking up at Finn eagerly. Finn nodded. "Of course man! Might as well make good use of the time we have left right?" "Whoo hoo!" Jake cheered throwing his hands in the air happily. "Alright man we start tomorrow. But for now, I think it's time for sleep." He yawned walking upstairs. "I'll be up in a minute." Finn called up. BMO looked up at him. "You're accepting Jake's death? That was easier than I thought." Finn shook his head. "There's no way I'm letting Jake die. This is just part of my new plan." He explained. "If I can show Jake everything he'd miss out on if he dies, he'll realize he can't let the Cosmic Owl take him!" BMO shook his head. "It's not a good idea. If Jake finds out he'll be upset." He said. Finn shook his head. "Nah it's a great idea. You'll see…"

The First Day

"Come on Jake hurry up!" Finn called from the living room. "I'm coming just hold on!" Jake called back from upstairs. "Breakfast Princess is waiting on us!" Finn called pulling his backpack on. "Breakfast Princess has all day to eat breakfast." Jake responded finally coming down. "I still don't want to keep her waiting man. We told her we'd be there by eight and it's already 7:50!" "I know, I know, were leaving already!" Jake grumbled. "Sheesh,"

"Hey BP!" Finn called out as he and Jake approached the Breakfast Kingdom. "Sorry were late." "It's okay Finn, I already have everything set out for you. I'm excited to see what you two come up with." The princess replied gesturing to a table filled with every kind of breakfast item you could imagine! From cereal and oatmeal boxes, to fresh fruit and breads. "Oh sweet!" the boys said in unison and ran over. "I'm gonna make a triple layer French toast breakfast sandwich!" Jake exclaimed grabbing a piece of French toast. Finn chuckled as he started on his creation.

Moments later, the two sat back to back with extended bellies and a quite satisfied appetite. "Man that was good." Finn burped happily. "You said it bro." Jake replied giving a burp of his own. Finn burped again even louder and Jake turned to look at him with a sly smile. Then he let out a burp loud enough to wake the entire land of Ooo. Finn returned the smile, his face contorting as he summoned the loudest burp he could. But a little *squeak!* was all that came out. His face turned a bright shade of red as he turned to look at Jake who laughed. Finn smiled and soon they were both laughing at their silliness. Jake stumbled to his feet and sucked his gut back to its normal size. "So what now?" he asked helping Finn to his feet. "We need some sort of adventure or fight to get rid of all this extra weight we put on." He replied patting his stomach. "You mean all the extra weight _you_ put on." Jake teased. "Hey you gained just as much as I did. You just cheated your way into losing it." Finn countered. "Hey I do not cheat!" Jake argued. "I just like to put my awesome gift to good use." "You cheat at everything Jake! Video games, board games, wrestling, climbing," Jake crossed his arms over his chest. "Who's to say _you're _not the one who cheats?" "I don't cheat! But if you want proof, I challenge you to a race. First to reach the top of Death mountain without stretching or any other kind of way wins." Jake looked over at Death Mountain. The highest mountain in all of Ooo. A thick, eerie fog surrounded the mountain like a blanket. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The thin trail up was rumored to be lined with skeletal remains and to lead to unexpected deep ditches and dead ends. And the wildlife? Well no one ever made it back down to say. Jake gulped nervously and looked up at Finn to see if he was joking. His expression plainly told him he wasn't. "Well what do I have to lose?" Jake asked himself aloud. "Your self confidence when you lose." Finn said. Jake crossed his arms. "Am not! We'll just see who loses their self confidence once we- I mean I reach the top of this mountain!" he challenged stretching his legs taller so he could get to the mountain faster. "Remember no powers you cheater!" Finn called running to catch up to him. "Oh yeah," Jake thought and stretched back down to a normal size. He started running as fast as he could but a few moments later, Finn had long since passed him and he was already struggling to catch his breath. Finally, he arrived at the base of the mountain. Looking up, the mountain seemed more menacing and dangerous than ever. The base was littered with skeletons and only a few feet up, painted on a nearby rock in what appeared to be blood was the frantic message, "Turn back now!" Jake sighed. This was gonna be harder than he thought. He took a deep breath and started climbing careful to look out for any ditches or dead ends or dangerous creatures. He looked up and was quite reassured to see Finn not too far ahead of him. He called up to him and Finn looked down and waved. "See you at the top loser!" he called down before rushing off. Jake sighed and continued climbing. He hadn't gone three feet when he came across a large ditch. It was so deep, he couldn't see the bottom of it and it took up almost the entire path. How was he supposed to cross this without his powers? Was it time to turn back? Then he thought of Finn and how smug and proud he would be if he won. He would make sure Jake remembered it for the rest of his life! No, he had to keep going. But how? He looked over and saw a few jagged rocks he could climb over. The only danger there was, if he missed his footing or anything else went wrong, he would plunge down into the hole's gaping jaws! He shuddered at the thought but seeing no other way around, decided to risk it. He edged over slowly and grabbed hold of the rocky ledge. Then, double checking his footing so he wouldn't fall, hauled himself over the edge. He landed a bit unsteadily and struggled to steady himself when he noticed a thin rope just an arms length away. A note had been hastily attached by Finn; don't need you dying just yet. Thought this might help. Jake smiled and grabbed hold of the rope steadying himself. He looked up and noticed a figure moving quickly out of his field of vision but of course he knew what had happened; probably almost dying himself, Finn had attached the rope and stood by to make sure Jake made it up in one piece. He sighed knowing that meant that Finn was still ahead of him. He continued on following the path up to the top. He had to turn back at a few dead ends a few times and sometimes he heard strange noises, but he continued on. Eventually, he could see the top of the mountain just a few feet ahead. He smiled eagerly and ran over. He saw something out of the corner of his eye that caught his attention; it was Finn! He was almost there! He couldn't let him win! He ran as fast as he could being careful not to trip or use his powers in any way. Finn must have seen Jake coming because he too sped up his pace. The two were now neck in neck as they neared the top. Jake glared over at Finn playfully and Finn returned the gesture with a smirk of his own. Just then without warning, the ground beneath Finn seemed to give way and he found himself plummeting down into a deep ditch! "Finn!" Jake called out desperately. He rushed over trying to ignore the memories that plagued him; memories of his buddy lying helpless in the hospital bed as he prepared to take his final breath. He pushed the thought away and leaned over the hole. "Finn!" he called out again. Ignoring all thoughts of his own safety, he stretched his arm as long as it would go, and reached down into the ditch. His heart raced and his face was soaked with sweat, but finally, his paw grasped the hem of Finn's pants and he pulled him up as quickly as he could. He looked down at Finn worriedly. He wasn't moving. "Finn? Finn!" he called shaking Finn. Still nothing. He began to tear up, his heart racing. "No," he moaned sadly. He hugged Finn's limp form. "Finn," he sobbed. Just then he heard a coughing and looked down. Finn smiled up at him. "I guess you win." He coughed. Jake sighed in relief and smiled. "I guess so." "You still used your powers though you cheater." Finn laughed. Jake smiled. "Oh I'm sorry, maybe I should just let you fall back down." He teased pretending to throw him back in. "Ah no! Please!" Finn screamed playfully. Jake laughed and pulled him back up. "Come on let's get out of here." He said stretching himself and Finn back down the mountain. "The first bros to make it to the top of Death Mountain and back. That's pretty huge." Finn said. Jake nodded. "Yeah, it sure was great." "It sure is a shame you have to die after such an accomplishment." Finn continued. Jake shrugged. "It'll be my legend. Just like Kompy's Castle." "Dang it Jake!" Finn cursed under his breath. "Well we still have two more days. That's all the time I need…"

Day 2

Morning sunlight streamed through the window waking Finn from his slumber. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out, and the birds were chirping happily. Finn sat up slowly rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Morning Jake." He mumbled. There was no response. "Jake?" he called again. He looked over to the bed where Jake slept. It was empty. "Jake!" he called frantically. As quick as he could, he pulled off his pajamas and struggled to get his outfit and backpack on. "Glob no, oh Glob no" he begged as he ran downstairs. "I thought we still had two whole days! Was I wrong?" tears began to sting the corners of his eyes and he quickly wiped them away praying he wasn't too late. "Jake!" he called out as he approached the kitchen. "Yeah?" Jake answered looking up from his cooking. Finn sighed in relief. "Nothing. Good morning." He said simply sitting down at the table. "Morning." Jake replied walking over with two plates. He set one down in front of Finn and got started on his own plate. "So what's the plan for today?" he asked through a mouthful of pancake. Finn swallowed before answering. "I thought we could spend today with some of our friends. First we'll go help PB in her lab. Then we'll head over to Marci's for a jam session and a game of basketball with Ice King. Then we'll have a picnic with BMO, Peppermint Butler, and LSP in the woods. Afterwards you and Lady can spend a quiet afternoon together with your kids. At the end of the day, you and I will have a gaming session." Jake nodded slowly. "Sounds fun." He said before quickly gulping down the rest of his breakfast. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

As promised, their first stop was the Candy Kingdom to help Princess Bubblegum with one of her new experiments. The two brothers laughed as they chased giant colorful bubbles around the room while PB observed and took notes. "Very interesting." She thought as she nodded and scratched her chin in contemplation. The bubbles changed color and size fascinating the boys every time as they rushed to pop them.

After the boys had popped to their hearts content, they said their goodbyes and headed over to Marci's house. "Hey guys," she greeted. "Ready to rock?" she asked grabbing her guitar. "Yeah!" they responded in unison. Marceline began to sing re-making the song she had sung when the friends were trying to defeat the door-lord. "Sorry I don't treat you like a goddess, is that what you want me to do? Sorry I don't treat you like you're perfect, like all your little subjects do. Sorry I'm not made of sugar and I'm not sweet enough for you, is that why you always avoid me? I must be such an inconvenience to you," she sang stopping to make notes as she went. Eventually they finished and Simon arrived for the game. "Jake pass it I'm open, I'm open!" Finn called as Jake dribbled the ball his way. But before he could, Marci had snatched it away from him! "Simon catch!" she called throwing the ball Ice King's way. "What? Oh, I got it!" he called back stepping to catch it. Time seemed to slow down as the ball flew through the air on its way to the perfect basket. Everyone seemed to grow more and more anxious as Ice King leapt to catch it. And then, it happened; he missed the catch! The ball flew straight past him landing perfectly in Jake's waiting arms. Jake then proceeded to shoot and score the winning point. Finn and Jake had won! "Oops," "Aw no!" Simon and Marci groaned. "That was a perfect shot! How could you miss?" "Well excuse me for being old and having arthritis!" the two argued. Finn and Jake just laughed. "What do you expect when your team is nothing but old timers?" they teased. "What did you say?" Marci asked transforming. She rushed over and grabbed the two in her giant fists. "I'll kill you both!" she threatened playfully. Finn pulled his sword out and began to attack. "Ow watch it," Marci moaned as she began to bleed. "Not until you give up! We beat you at Basketball and we can beat you at anything!" he challenged. "Yeah!" Jake agreed stretching himself out of Marci's grasp. "You're not the only one with fancy cool powers!" he said stretching himself to Marci's height. "You can't hurt me!" Marci bellowed. "Oh yeah? And why not?" Jake challenged. "Because I've got a hostage!" Marci replied gesturing to Finn. Jake smirked. "You really think I care about him?" he said. "Hey! Next time you're in danger, don't come crying to me!" Finn answered. He brought his sword dangerously close to Marci's eye. "Hey play fair!" she said backing away from the blade. Finn began to gently hack at her fist until she finally let go. "You think you can defeat me?" she cackled shrinking back down to a normal size. Simon cringed as the battle was decided in that next moment. "Say you're sorry." Marci said smugly crushing the two beneath her. "Never!" Finn moaned struggling to get out from underneath her. "We can still beat you!" Jake challenged stretching himself bigger. "And we just did." He said as Marci fell over. She glared at them for a moment before all three of them started laughing. "That was fun!" they gasped. Marci reached over and hugged Jake tightly. "You're a great friend Jake. I'm gonna miss you." she said crying a little. Jake hugged her back. "I know. It'll be alright." He comforted. Marci pulled away wiping the tears from her eyes. "Bye Jake,"

"Goodbye,"

"Hey guys! Sorry we're late!" Jake called as he and Finn arrived at the rendezvous point in the woods for the picnic. "Flippin' finally. We've been waiting for hours, I'm so hungry!" LSP complained. "But LSP, it's only been twenty minutes." BMO reminded. "In any case, at least you guys are here now." Peppermint Butler said setting out the food. Jake licked his lips hungrily. "Man you guys really know how to hold a picnic." He said plopping down in between Finn and BMO. "So Jake, tell us all about what happened with the owl and everything." LSP said between bites. "Well," Jake began gulping down a ham and cheddar sandwich. "It all started in the mystery cave, this ding-dong here," he said gesturing to Finn. "Decided it would be a good idea to go exploring a long, dark passageway leading to no one knows where!" "Aw man, really Finn?" Everyone mumbled shaking their heads at Finn. Finn blushed a little and looked down at his sandwich. "So we go and there's the biggest baddest monster you've ever seen! It had these razor sharp claws and poison dripping from its mouth and Finn wanted to take it home as a pet!" Finn kept his eyes focused on his sandwich and began playing with the lettuce nervously. "So eventually, he figures out he can't tame it and starts to fight it. Well he should've known he couldn't win either way because the next thing we know, he's on the floor bleeding and I have to step in and scare the beast away from him." Everyone shook their heads and looked over at Finn scowling. He in response, kept his eyes focused on the lettuce. "So I get him to the hospital and after a while I'm told he's not going to make it. So I go in to say my goodbyes and the whole time I'm thinking, 'Finn you moron, why didn't you just listen to me and leave that thing alone?" Finn looked up at Jake for a moment but quickly looked away shamefully when he noticed Jake starting to cry. "So as I'm in there, the Cosmic Owl comes and he tells me he's come for Finn. But there was no way I was going to let my best buddy die. So I tell him, 'Take me instead." Everyone gasped and leaned over in anticipation. Finn didn't even notice the tears beginning to escape his eyes. "So I agreed that tomorrow night, the Cosmic Owl can come and take me as long as he lets Finn stay." Jake concluded. LSP looked at Finn. "So what you're saying is, if Finn hadn't been so stupid, none of this would've happened." Finn's eyes widened upon hearing that. It was true! Oh why didn't he just listen to Jake? He looked up at Jake shamefully his eyes filling with tears. "I-I have to go," he stuttered rising from his seat and walking off. "Finn? Finn wait!" Jake called. But Finn didn't listen. He kept walking. Then he started running the tears stinging his eyes. Through his blurred vision, he was able to spot a nearby bush to hide behind. He could hear Jake calling him but he refused to answer. "Oh Glob, what did I do?" he muttered sadly. He cringed as he heard Jake approaching. "Finn?" he called. "Go away." Finn called back softly from the other side of the bush. Jake looked over to find his buddy cowering beneath the branches. "Finn?" he called softly. "I said go away!" Finn repeated turning away. Jake frowned. "No. Not until you tell me what's wrong." He insisted. "Is it what LSP said?" Finn nodded. "Aw Finn you know that's not true." Jake comforted. "Yes it is!" Finn replied shaking his head violently. "If I hadn't tried to tame that monster, I wouldn't have gotten hurt. And if I hadn't have gotten hurt the Cosmic Owl wouldn't need to come take me and if the Cosmic Owl didn't have to take me, you wouldn't have had to give up your life tomorrow night!" he sobbed. Jake put one arm around Finn who flinched a bit but didn't pull away. "Hey, we all make stupid mistakes. I don't regret what I did for a single moment." He consoled. "Well I do" Finn murmured. Jake hugged him gently. "I'll never truly leave you Finn. I'll always be with you. Believe me if there was some way around this I would try it but we just can't cheat death." He replied. Finn looked up. "We can still try. There _has _to be some other way." Jake frowned. "Were not discussing this again Finn. There _is no way_." He said helping Finn to his feet. "Now you've been making these last few days some of the best days of my life. Don't ruin it for me with all this talk okay?" Finn wiped a few tears away before giving a small nod. Jake smiled. "Okay then. Come on were late for meeting Lady." Finn shook his head. "You go." He said. "This is your time alone with Lady and your kids. I'll meet you back at the tree house tonight for gaming." Jake nodded. "Okay man I'll see you later then." But deep in his heart Finn still knew Jake's death was all his fault.

And that was why now more than ever, he needed to find a way to save him.

"I'm home!" Jake called entering the front door. "Come on over to the living room!" Finn called back. Jake walked in to see Finn in the middle of installing a new game on BMO. "What ya' doing?" he asked. Finn looked up. "Oh, Princess Bubblegum told me about this new game." He answered. "It's supposed to be real fun." Jake sat down on the couch next to Finn. "What's it about?" he asked stretching his arm into the kitchen to grab a bag of Cheesy-Puffs. "Uh, this guy's best friend has been kidnapped and we have to help save him. There are all sorts of monsters we have to defeat and each time we defeat them, we'll get a clue as to how to save the guy." He explained. Jake nodded. "Seems pretty straightforward." He reached over and picked up a controller. "Alright let's do this!" Finn reached over, pressed START, took a seat next to Jake, and began playing. As the game progressed Jake began to think. It's funny; the situation in the game seemed a lot like their situation. The thought made him a bit suspicious and he looked up at Finn knowingly. "Wait a minute, you didn't choose this game specifically to try to get me to change my mind about dying tomorrow night did you?" Finn looked at him pretending to be hurt. "What? Do you really think I would try to change your mind by asking Princess Bubblegum if she knew a game that would change your mind like the one you used on me to get m to explore The Vault, even though you specially asked me to stop?" he babbled. Jake thought about it for a moment. He smiled. "Yeah you're right. I trust you man." He replied before turning back to the game. Finn looked and noticed BMO standing in the doorway. He waved but BMO simply shook his head at Finn before walking out. Finn shrugged but still, he couldn't help but feel a little pang of guilt…"No, stop it Finn," he thought to himself shaking the feeling away. "It's all worth it to save Jake in the end,"

The Last Day

Jake sighed happily leaning back against the couch. "That was good." He burped. Finn laughed and nodded. "Yeah it was," he agreed happily. "So what's the plan for today?" Jake asked gathering up all the dishes and moving over to the sink. Finn thought for a moment. What _was _the plan? There were plenty of swords and weapons downstairs to fight the Cosmic Owl off with when he came. And if that didn't work they could always call over some back up. But for the time being, there was nothing left to do but wait. "I think we should just take a lazy day today." He said finally. "Maybe invite Marceline or Princess Bubblegum over later." Jake smiled. "Yeah, that sounds nice." He sighed happily. Finn smiled and leaned against the couch sighing happily. BMO cutely tried to do the same. They sat there like that for a moment before Finn finally asked, "So, what _do _you want to do Jake?" Jake thought for a moment. He shrugged. "I don't know. How 'bout a video game?" he suggested. Finn nodded. "Yeah okay," "But," Jake added pointing an accusing finger at Finn. "No more of that weird game you had me play last night. That was crazy boring." He said. Finn nodded slowly. "Alright," That idea hadn't worked anyways. He looked over at BMO. "How bout you put on…" "Kompy's Castle!" Jake interrupted. "I want to work on my high score before I die!" he said. Finn shook his head. "Nah, that's too easy. I want you to feel as good as you can before you die." He said. Jake shot him a suspicious look. "What exactly are you saying?" "Nothing, just that there would be no real competition and it wouldn't be fair." "Oh you're on brother!" Jake smiled evilly before getting up and walking into the bedroom. "Where are you going?" Finn called. "To get the stakes we'll be playing for!" he called back. He returned a few minutes later carrying his most prized sword. The sharp metal gleamed giving off a blinding glare in the dim morning glare. The sword was short but deadly with razor like spikes along the edge of the blade, and a mysterious eye on the hilt. Finn gasped in amazement. He had always loved that sword. He had seen what it could do in battle and it never ceased to amaze him. "This is what were playing for?" he asked in astonishment. Jake nodded proudly. "Yup. My prized sword. If you win, the sword gets willed to you. If you lose, it gets willed to the donation pile." He explained. Finn nodded determinedly. He just had to win that sword! "Bring it on bro!" he challenged. Jake giggled. "Heh, yeah,"

"Two player mode BMO." Jake said sitting down next to Finn. "You two are playing for very high stakes." BMO said. "You should give the sword to me if Finn loses." Jake looked at BMO confused. "What do you need a sword for?" he asked suspiciously. "Nothing…" Jake was still a bit curious, but he simply picked up the controller. "You ready to lose dude?" Finn teased. "In your dreams dude!" he replied. The game started and pretty soon, the two were rushing through every level beating every monster they could find. Jake smiled at Finn. "You're actually not that bad at this." He admitted. Finn smiled. "I told you." "That still doesn't mean you're gonna beat me!" but something happened. As the two went on arguing, they failed to notice the huge lake that lay right in Kompy's path! Jake noticed at the last moment but by then of course, it was too late. "No! Kompy!" Jake screamed as Kompy fell into the lake and was devoured by the horrible lake monster. "No!" he screamed throwing his controller on the floor and startling BMO. "Yes! Looks like I win! Yes!" Finn cheered happily. "Pay up Jake!" he demanded holding out his hand eagerly. "Fine," Jake sighed handing him the sword nonchalantly. Finn smiled and stared at the sword dreamily. He gently ran his fingers along the blade. When he drew his hand away, he could see he had in fact drawn blood. "Whoa," he sighed in amazement. "Dude be careful with that sword. It's super powerful." Jake said protectively after seeing the blood. But Finn was too busy swinging the sword and slicing through whatever he could find to take any notice. Jake reached out his hand and gingerly held the blade in place causing Finn to look at him at last. "Seriously though, that sword is really powerful. It can cut through _anything_. Even BMO!" he explained. BMO looked up startled and slowly began to back away from Finn nervously. "Heh, don't worry BMO I won't try anything." Finn promised. "You better not. That sword is not for messing around." Jake warned. "Yeah I know." Finn replied examining the handle. In truth, it wasn't just about beating Jake at his own game, there was no way Finn could live with himself if the sword had been donated to some stranger! If Jake really did die at least Finn would have something to remember him by. He looked up at Jake and sighed. Tonight would be the last chance he would ever get. Everything had to go exactly according to plan. He wasn't going to let anything happen to Jake.

The rest of the day passed pretty quickly. A bit too quickly for Finn. The two competed in a wrestling match, (thanks to Jake's "cheater powers" as Finn called them, Jake easily won), afterwards they re-visited the dungeon Joshua had made for them, (It was a bit easier this time around), and even went on a mission to retrieve another soul stone for Princess Bubblegum. "Man this day has been great." Jake sighed as the two finally got home. Finn looked outside worriedly. The sun was already beginning to set! Jake noticed Finn's worried expression and looked out the window before looking back at Finn who was silently starting to cry. He walked over to him and looked at him sadly. "Hey man, It's gonna be okay," he said softly. Finn nodded wiping the tears away. Jake reached over and wrapped Finn in a comforting hug. He could feel his eyes begging to fill with tears too. "It's gonna be okay," he repeated hugging Finn tighter. "Come over here." He said gently leading Finn over to the couch. They sat down, and Jake turned to face Finn. "You have been the best brother and friend a guy could ask for," he said choking back tears. "You're strong, you have a good heart, and you never give up. And there is not _one thing _I would _ever _change about our adventures or our time together." He reached over and gave Finn another hug. "I love you Finn." Finn nodded slowly. "I know." He sighed and quickly pulled himself together. "I gotta call Marci and grab a few things." He said getting up and heading into the treasure room. Jake opened his mouth to stop him but he stopped realizing how pointless it would be. Finn picked up the phone and headed down dialing as he went. "Hello?" Marci responded. "Marci? It's Finn." "What's up?" "The Cosmic Owl will be here soon. I was hoping maybe you could come over to help us defeat him." "Defeat him? Finn I know you're desperate but you can't defeat the Cosmic Owl!" "Please Marci. If I have to lose Jake tonight, it'll send me into depression. You don't want that do you?" to add a bit more of a dramatic effect, Finn eve pretended to start crying. Marci sighed on the other end. "Fine I'll be over there in a bit just don't cry, okay?" Finn smiled to himself. "Thanks see you soon!" he hung up and examined the sword he had just picked up. He shrugged. "This'll do. But just to be on the safe side," he reached over and picked up Jake's sword. "Perfect."

The Hardest Of Goodbyes

Finn twiddled his thumbs idly and looked back up at the clock for the thousandth time that night. 11:50. He looked down at Jake fingering his viola nonchalantly. He knew they should be saying their goodbyes but neither wanted to be the first to start. He looked up at the clock. 11:53. He looked over at Finn and saw him sharpening the blades of the two swords he had brought up. He didn't even need to ask what Finn wanted them for. He knew too well. He glanced back at the clock. 11:56. He looked up at Finn. "It's almost time." He said softly. Finn gave a small nod and continued his work. Jake reached over and put one gentle paw on Finn's hand. Finn stopped and looked up at him. "Listen Finn, this isn't the end." He said. Finn sighed sadly. "It might as well be," he muttered. Jake frowned. "No Finn, I'll always be with you," he replied. The two stared at each other for a moment before they bust out laughing. "Dude that's super corny." Finn chuckled. "I know, I know, I'm sorry I just had to do that." Jake laughed wiping away a few tears. After a few moments, the two finally settled down. Jake glanced up at the clock. 11:59. Finn reached over and grabbed his sword holding onto it tightly. Jake's eyes filled with tears. He couldn't fight them, couldn't hold them back. He reached over and quickly pulled Finn into a tight embrace. "It's gonna be okay Finn." He promised tightening his grip. Finn clung onto Jake tightly. "I'm not gonna let you die," he sobbed. Jake sighed. "I'm so sorry I can't stay. I would if I could." he pulled away for a moment and smiled at Finn. Finn looked at him confused. "What?" Jake just shook his head still smiling. "I can just only imagine the man you'll become." He said. "You've been the best friend a guy could ask for," Finn held Jake closer. "And you are the best friend I could ever have too." 12:00. Just then, a bright light filled the room from out of nowhere and from that light, the Cosmic Owl appeared. "Are you ready Jake?" he asked. The two pulled away and Finn prepared his sword. "He's not going anywhere." He growled and lunged at the owl. But something odd happened; the sword went right _through _the owl! Finn looked up in amazement. "How?..." the owl laughed. "Did you really think that would work? You can't kill me boy! I am Death's messenger!" Finn fell to his knees groaning. "No, no! Please let Jake stay he's my best friend in the whole world! Please take me instead!" he begged desperately. The Cosmic Owl shook his head. "The deal has already been struck." He said coldly. Jake hugged Finn tightly. "I love you Finn." He coughed, his eyes getting droopy. "No, please no!" Finn begged holding Jake as tightly as he could. "Good, bye-Finn," Jake coughed one last time. Another flash of bright light, and the Cosmic Owl was gone. Finn looked down at Jake. "Jake?" he called desperately. But Jake was as silent and still as the black night sky. Jake was gone. "NOOO! JAAAKKKEEE!"

"Hello? Finn? It's Marci. I got held up with a few things but I'm on my way now. I'll be there as soon as I can. Hello? You there? Is everything okay? Finn?"


End file.
